Golf club head

ABSTRACT

A golf club head is configured to be coupled to a shaft adapted for being held in the hands of a user. The golf club head includes a strike face comprising an alloy that has a low coefficient of friction bonded to the strike face.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/603,861, filed Aug. 24, 2004 by Bruce D. Rowe, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the game of golf, and more particularly, to golf clubs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A golf swing that results in an unwanted hook or slice can detract from a golfer's enjoyment of the game. Aggravation over a hook or slice generally results when a side spin is imparted to the ball during impact. The culprit is often an improper grip and/or overly-aggressive swing that results in the club face not being perpendicular to the arc of the swing during impact. Air friction then acts on the spinning ball and bends the trajectory of the ball away from the intended direction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention addresses these and other problems associated with the prior art by providing a golf club having a strike face with a lower coefficient of friction. In one embodiment, the head of a golf club includes a quasicrystal or other alloy having a low coefficient of friction. The quasicrystal alloy embodiment resists corrosion, wear and oxidation, in addition to reducing friction between the strike face of the club and the golf ball.

While one skilled in the art will recognize that there are many quasicrystal alloys that may be used in accordance with the principles of the present invention, many quasicrystal alloys are based on a combination of aluminum, copper and iron. This combination yields the specific quasicrystal identified as Al₂₅Cu₂₀Fe₁₅. One skilled in the art will appreciate, however, that other metals, such as chromium, cobalt, nickel, etc., may be added.

Such alloys are typically reduced to powder and sprayed on a golf club head. The alloys metallurgically bond by sharing the atoms with atoms of the club metal onto which the quasicrystal alloy was sprayed. This bonding feature produces a dense and wear-resistant strike surface having a relatively low coefficient of friction. While Teflon® or some other chemically inert polymer of tetrafluorothylene may alternatively be sprayed onto the strike face of a club in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the application of the quasicrystalline application wears better due to its being metallurgically bonded to the strike face, as opposed to merely coated.

While the present invention has been illustrated by the above description, it is not the intention of the Applicant to restrict or in any limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of Applicant's general inventive concept. 

1. A golf club head configured to be coupled to a shaft adapted for being held in the hands of a user, wherein the golf club head includes a strike face comprising an alloy bonded to the strike face, the alloy having a low coefficient of friction.
 2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the alloy comprises a quasicrystal alloy.
 3. A method for manufacturing a golf club head comprising bonding a quasicrystal alloy to a strike face of a member configured to attach to a shaft adapted for being held in the hands of a user. 